Senior Boys Are Still Underrepresented and Why This Needs to Change.

I’m not sure what it’s like where you are, but senior photography sessions are showing up BIG and in all the feeds as we head into spring. As a Central Texas senior photographer I won’t lie, I’m right there too, documenting this beautifully chaotic season for all my clients. One thing I continue to notice year after year:

Senior girl sessions are everywhere.

Senior boys? Underrepresented, still.

As a mom to four boys (currently in college, high school, and middle school) I am well versed on the tween and teen boy, an expert really, and I see year after year the hesitation of parents booking senior sessions for their sons. I know why it happens but I also know how to fix it.

Myth Busted: He doesn’t care about it.

I’ve been photographing families from Austin, Dripping Springs, and Driftwood with tweens & teens for well over a decade and this is flat out wrong. Boys do care, they simply don’t want to feel awkward, uncomfortable, or put on the spot. The misconception around photographing tween and teen boys is based on preconceived ideas they are “too cool” for photos and that boys don’t like being photographed other than in a sports setting. It’s not his approach, it’s ours.

Boys are Built Differently: So should their senior sessions.

Thinking back to my high schools days, I can think of ALL the girls getting senior sessions. True, they looked a little different back then and mostly focused on getting those show stopper images to include in your Sorority Rush packet, but I don’t remember ANY senior boys chatting in the halls about finally booking the go-to photographer and stressing about what to wear. I’m not sure my brother had senior pictures other than studio images the yearbook company offered. One and done for the boys.

Senior sessions are girl centered: soft and pretty, delicate posing, styled from top to bottom (think hair to clothing), and all about her. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this. At all.

Unless your’e a senior boy.

Senior boys are NOT seeing themselves in what is being shown. They aren’t connecting to these images or to the photographers. It’s not a messaging issue or even a confidence issue (or lack of on their part). It’s a representation issue. When they don’t see senior sessions that show senior boys looking natural, relaxed, and authentic they continue to believe there isn’t a session built for them.

Identity Shifts: Senior boys are feeling it all, they may not show it or share it.

Having graduated one high school son (’24) and currently preparing to launch a second son (’26) I know exactly how senior year goes for boys and that it’s a huge shift for them; even the most grounded or easy going. Senior boys are navigating the big shifts and the little ones (that tend to pile up and become a crashing wave, it’s coming…). From the last game with the team that has become family to realizing the door to independence is wide open to even realizing home life goes on while they are away, this year is HUGE on their emotions.

It’s a little odd to say but senior sessions allow them a much needed pause. An opportunity to be seen for who they are, right now, captured in this “becoming” state. Visual proof of who they are, were, and will be all rolled up in one singular moment of time. A reminder that while they are no longer cherub faced toddlers or middle schoolers with a twinkle of mischief in their eyes, they are worthy of being photographed. Some day they will look back at these images and be reminded how much they mattered in this season.

Beyond Boyhood: Authentic images of senior boys in their season of becoming.

Fake smiles and stiff posing are what senior boys automatically think of when they hear “photo session.” They are so wrong! What should an senior session with a boy look like? I’m so glad you asked!

Senior sessions are natural movement based around the actual ways boys stand, walk, and simply exist in their space.
Clear communication and direction that means authentic expressions and a completely relaxed environment.
Using locations that are comfortable, familiar, and lend to telling who you are in this season.
A gallery with images that look like him, feel like him, and are worthy of your walls!

Worthy, Not Worried

If you are a parent of a teen boy or are a senior boy in Austin, Dripping Springs, or Driftwood and have been questioning if you are worthy of a senior session, the answer is YES! You absolutely are! This is your sign that authentic senior sessions for boys do exist and a photographer that speaks fluent boy is right here!

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